Crawl Space

Lore & Background

The episode details the immediate aftermath of Jesse Pinkman and Gus Fring escaping Mexico after eliminating Don Eladio Vuente and the Cartel leadership. While Mike Ehrmantraut remains behind for a week to recover from wounds, Jesse is tasked with cooking meth in place of Walter White, though he insists Walt not be harmed. The tension escalates when Hank Schrader requests Walt drive him to investigate the Pollos Hermanos chicken farm and an associated industrial laundry where Walt works. In a panic over exposure, Walt deliberately crashes his car to stop being Hank's chauffeur. Simultaneously, Ted Beneke attempts to blackmail Skyler White regarding $617,000 owed to the IRS. Skyler hires Saul Goodman's associates, Huell and Kuby, to extort Ted. After signing a check, Ted tries to flee but trips, hits his head, and suffers a serious injury.

In Their Own Story

The plot reaches its breaking point when Walt discovers Jesse has been cooking in the lab. Walt pleads for unity against Gus, but Jesse turns on him. Subsequently, Walt is abducted by Gus's crew and taken to the desert. There, Gus fires Walt, forbids any contact with Jesse or the laundry, and threatens that his crew will murder Hank due to investigative risks. When Walt protests, Gus vows to kill Walt's entire family if he interferes further. Terrified, Walt rushes to Saul Goodman for the "deluxe service" of disappearing his whole family, a deal costing half a million dollars. He retrieves a business card from a safe containing info on a vacuum cleaner repair business and a phone number for the "disappearer." Walt also asks Saul to send an anonymous DEA tip about a threat to Hank. Rushing home, Walt discovers the money in the crawl space is insufficient because Skyler gave it all to Ted. Realizing his family is doomed, Walt screams in anguish before breaking down laughing manically as Marie Schrader calls from a terrified place.

Reader's Guide

The episode concludes with Marie informing Skyler that the DEA received an anonymous tip warning of a drug cartel threat against Hank's life, prompting agents to guard their home. As this call happens, Walt continues his manic laughter before passing out in the crawl space. The final shot features the camera panning upwards from Walt laughing, ending with pulsating music and a feedback screech before cutting to black. This framing mirrors Walt's final scene in the series finale "Felina." Critics like Noel Murray of The A.V. Club awarded it an "A," calling it intense and terrifying, while Seth Amitin of IGN gave it 9 out of 10 for Bryan Cranston's performance. In 2019, The Ringer ranked this episode as the 9th best of all 62 Breaking Bad episodes.

Did You Know?

• The episode originally aired on September 25, 2011.
• Bryan Cranston submitted this specific episode for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the 64th ceremony.
• The anonymous tip that saved Hank came from Saul Goodman's office after Walt requested it.
• Skyler White gave the $617,000 intended for Ted Beneke to pay off the IRS.